n the scorching afternoons of a small village in the Nowshehro-Feroz district of Sindh, a little cowherd used to hum. It was the 1950s, and nobody could have predicted that his resonant voice would one day capture the hearts of millions of listeners. Despite being sent to a nearby town to learn tailoring by his father, the little cowherd’s passion for music never faded. He would often hum along to the music playing in the shop instead of using the sewing machine. The love for music was ingrained in him.

One day, at a fair in a nearby village, he sang for three nights in a row and captivated every listener with his voice. His name spread not only in the town but also far beyond it. Jalal Chandio, with his Sindhi topi on his forehead, tall stature, curly moustache on his face, long and wide qamees with an open collar, a watch on his wrist and modest nature, truly ruled the hearts of music lovers. Today, a list of Sindhi musicians would be incomplete without the name of the little cowherd who went on to become a legend.

It has often been observed that the lives of exceptional people are filled with extraordinary events. This was also true for Jalal. Despite his father’s disapproval of his love for music, Jalal’s musical talent was too great to be ignored. After he performed for three consecutive days at a fair and received widespread acclaim, Jalal’s father finally relented and allowed him to pursue his passion for singing.

Jalal Chandio was initially rejected by some cassette companies. However, his popularity eventually grew so much that lay people would bring their own tape recorders to his concerts to preserve his songs for later. In the end the cassette companies were forced to record him, and their business became heavily dependent on him. At one point, Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad, had refused to record his music despite his request. Later, a Radio Pakistan producer, Ghulam Hussain Sheikh, invited Jalal Chandio to record a song. Before Jalal, most people used to listen to Urdu and Punjabi music on tractors and buses. Gradually, Jalal replaced everybody else. He was a trailblazer in Sindhi music, introducing not just a new style of singing but also establishing the tradition of farmaish (where audience members request songs of their choice). He played unique musical instruments like yaktaroo and chapri. He had memorised thousands of songs and even though he was illiterate and didn’t carry a notebook, recorded 1,600 albums and 10,000 songs. According to his son, Dilbar Chandio, who is also a musician, his father’s albums sold between eight hundred thousand and a million copies. His fans eagerly anticipated each release.

No matter whether it is cold winter nights or hot summer afternoons, Jalal’s voice can be heard echoing in the fields, on buses and trucks and in poverty-stricken huts in Sindh.

At one stage, Jalal Chandio was criticised for being an uncultured singer who only sang low-brow poetry that was popular among the poor. His critics labelled him as a singer of uncultured people. However, his supporters argue that this is not entirely true. Although he did sing some low-end lyrics, they were infrequent among his ten thousand recorded songs. Jalal Chandio himself once said that he believed true poetry was the domain of Shah Abdul Latif, Sachal Sarmast, Budhal Faqeer and Rakhel Shah. Ustad Bukhari was his favourite poet. He used to sing his poetry with great passion. He once said he believed that Ustad Manzoor Ali Khan was a better singer “but the fortune was on my side.”

Jalal Chandio was a popular singer who gained fame for expressing the emotions of common people through his music and singing their poetry. He also sang resistance poetry during the nationalist movement in Sindh in the ’90s. His popularity spread beyond Sindh, and he gained a following in Balochistan and South Punjab. He sang many songs in Seraiki. Many singers in Sindh added Jalal to their names and his name became an authority in the music industry. Jalal Chandio’s popularity has only grown with time, especially among the educated youth. His songs are popular at parties and he continues to be a beloved voice in the music world.

No matter whether it is cold winter nights or hot summer afternoons, Jalal’s voice can be heard echoing in the fields, on buses and trucks, and in poverty-stricken huts in Sindh. His voice remains unaffected by the harshness of circumstances or the change of seasons. On gloomy evenings, Jalal’s music reverberates in the fields and pierces the hearts of the grieving villagers with an intense and emotional connection. As a singer, Jalal Chandio has represented the hearts of Sindh’s people, particularly those living in villages. His songs focus on the romantic nature of village life, where love stories are often told during bus and tractor rides. In many of his songs, a villager falls in love with someone from the city. These tales captivate the listeners, taking them on a journey to the simplicity and charm of rural life.

It has been 23 years since Jalal Chandio passed away. It is a shame that the government and its Culture Department have never honoured Jalal’s death anniversary.

The writer is a mass communication student at NUML, Islamabad